Monday, December 17, 2007

A 44ft (13.41m) love spoon being carved outside Cardiff Castle is due to be completed in the next few days. Ed Harrison from Pontsian, Ceredigion, is attempting to break the world record for the largest wooden spoon which currently stands at 25ft 9in (7.86m). Using a chainsaw, Mr Harrison is carving the spoon out of a felled Red Cedar tree from the Caerphilly area. It has taken him over a week to finish the spoon which features a heart, cage, dragon and links, all symbolising love. Welsh love spoons, which date back to the 17th Century, were traditionally given as a declaration of love or to commemorate a marriage, anniversary or birth. You can see more of Mr Harrison's work on his website, and while there is no doubt that he's a master at carving wood, it doesn't look like spelling is his strong point.

A girl of four has offered to cut off her long hair to help another youngster's Christmas wish come true. Earlier this month, four-year-old Kazia-Leigh Rutherford, who has a disease which makes her hair grow in tufts, wrote a letter to Santa asking for a full head of hair.

Now Morna Francesca Moore, four, and her mother Sanja, 36, of Nottingham, have offered to have their own locks made into hair extensions for Kazia-Leigh.Mrs Moore, who has dark hair down to her waist, said: 'Having a four-year-old daughter with really long hair made me relate to the story. When I told my daughter, Morna Francesca, about it she said: “Mum, I'll give her mine.” She is only four, but she is perfectly ready to do that.' Doctors are baffled that Kazia-Leigh, from Hebburn, Tyneside, has never been able to grow more than a couple of inches of hair. Kazia's family have yet to respond to the offer.